Why Exercise Sometimes Makes You Angry

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Time: 2017-11-15

Why Exercise Sometimes Makes You Angry

Exercise is supposed to make you happy, right? Isn’t that the role of all those little endorphins? Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. For some of us, pushing it at the gym turns us into the Incredible Hulk, and it’s not pretty.

Have you ever tried to lift something at the gym—something pretty heavy—and become overwhelmed with a sudden onset of anger surging through your veins? While it is not something that afflicts everyone, those who work out intensely sometimes complain about exercise-induced anger. Why does this happen? There are 3 likely culprits:

You're pushing yourself too hard.

If you’re getting a little enraged, that’s a sure sign that you are probably pushing yourself too hard. Maybe you don’t need to lift double your body weight. Maybe you don’t need to bike at full throttle for the entire session. Anger during your workouts is a sign that your body is overloaded with stress. Sometimes, your stress-response may manifest as intense anger. Two avoid that, take it a little bit easier. The path to fitness isn’t a race.

Hunger or Dehydration.

Low blood sugar can turn the kindest among us into monsters. If you haven’t eaten enough during the day before your workout session, you might become a little cranky mid workout. The same holds true for dehydration. Although dehydration is less likely to make you angry, it can impact your mood and cause headache and lightheadedness. Always make sure you are adequately nourished before you begin a workout to keep moods stable.

Hormones.

There is also the possibility that you may have a slight hormonal imbalance. While many are quick to point the finger at testosterone levels, workout anger isn’t necessarily a sign of testosterone imbalance alone. There are many factors that could be at play. Pay attention to the patterns and seek out the advice and assistance of a trusted professional if you experience drastic shifts in mood when working out.

Odds are, exercise-induced anger is likely a combination of all three aforementioned imbalances. But don’t just shrug your drastic mood swings off. Being angry during an intense workout has been shown to nearly double your risk of a heart attack, according to a recent study. To help your nostrils de-flare, it is important to take long, deep breaths, especially during your workout. Also, make sure to add in some sort of meditative stretching protocol at the beginning and end of each session to bring your body back into balance. Exercise should make you feel good. If it doesn’t, it’s time to make some changes.